in € millions | 2017 | 2016 |
---|---|---|
Administrative expenses | 1,318 | 1,307 |
Selling and transmission expenses | 479 | 523 |
Advertising costs | 427 | 424 |
Allowances on receivables and non-financial assets | 192 | 206 |
Consulting and audit fees | 177 | 171 |
Operating taxes | 85 | 120 |
Adjustment to carrying amounts on assets held for sale | 4 | 14 |
Losses on disposals of non-current assets | 6 | 5 |
Foreign exchange losses | 16 | – |
Sundry operating expenses | 77 | 96 |
2,781 | 2,866 |
The item “Administrative expenses” includes, among others, payments recognized as expenses from operating leases of €270 million (previous year: €267 million), associated services and incidental costs of €29 million (previous year: €23 million), and contingent lease payments of €7 million (previous year: €7 million). In addition, this item includes repair and maintenance costs of €195 million (previous year: €188 million) and costs for IT services of €156 million (previous year: €162 million).